What the Fire Does
by snheetah
Summary: When Annie was born and the tragedy of her parents.


**I don't own 'Annie.' **

**Quotes are from the movie**

**I forgot the names of Annie's parents so I just put in 'Loretta' and 'Tim'**

**

* * *

**

**_~Years ago, years and years ago her family was killed in a fire!_**~_Ms. Hannigan_

It was years and years ago indeed. A lovely lady with big fat curly red hair was pregnant with her little baby in her stomach.

"Tim I'm so happy to have this child," the lady said as she looked at her husband lovingly.

"Me too Loretta," Tim said to his wife as he kissed her on her head. "Soon we will have our little baby." He handed her a cup of coffee and the two loved ones made their way at the living room. Tim opened a page in the newspaper and he read the column. "Oh my god."

"What?" Loretta said as she put down her knitting needles and looked up and 's face had gone white.

"The economy is bad," Tim told her, "three companies are out of business."

"That's awful," Loretta said as she slowly got up from the couch and looked at the column that her husband was reading. "Surely they wouldn't put you out of business would they? Your job is good, your pay is spectacular, and you are one of the most hard-working men there."

"I hope not my dear," Tim told her as he sipped some of his coffee.

* * *

Three months passed and Loretta was at the hospital. Her water had broke and she was pushing really hard to get the baby out of her.

"One more miss," a blond nurse said as Loretta gave one more push and the little baby came out.

"Thank God," Loretta said exhausted.

"Its a girl," a brunette nurse said as she looked at the baby.

"Oh my dear," Tim happily said as he kissed his wife's hand. Both parents were happy and proud that they had a little baby girl.

"Have you found a name for her?" Tim asked his wife.

"Yes," Loretta answered, "her name is Annie." She looked at the baby that was handed to her. She had red, smooth skin, and green little eyes.

"She's beautiful," Tim told his wife, "hi," he said as he tickled the little baby's chin with his finger. She let out a shrill of laughter.

"She's going to be a good daughter in the future," Loretta said as she gently kissed the baby's tiny forehead. The newborn baby looked around the room before shutting her eyes and taking a small nap.

* * *

After a few weeks in the hospital Loretta was finally released with Annie. Tim was waiting for her in his car and he took his wife and his little daughter at home. On the way home, Annie fell asleep in her mother's arms. Her little chest was heaving up and down slowly as she wandered in her dreams taking her to new adventures.

When the family arrived home, Annie was still asleep. Loretta put her child into the small rocking crib that she once had when she was a baby and slowly rocked her daughter in it. After a few minutes she got up and went to prepare some dinner for her and Tim. She took out some butter that was left. She sighed as she saw the small amount of butter that she had left. She took it and melted it in the pan that she had heated. The family was poor so they had only a small amount of food to eat. Since it was just her and Tim and that the baby couldn't chew yet then they were fine. She peeled some potatoes and threw them in the pan where they began to fry. She put them into the small oven so they can roast in there. She didn't know what else to prepare so she chopped some vegetables and cook them along with the potatoes. After the food was prepared she set the table and waited for her husband to come home. When he came home the two of them sat down and ate dinner.

"The dinner is delicious," Tim said once he ate a piece of vegetable.

"It was all I could find in the house," Loretta told him. There was a small crying heard in the other room. "Oops someone's hungry," she got up and retrieved Annie from the little crib. She went back to the dining room and sat down. She began to breast-feed the small baby girl.

Tim gently put his fork down on the plate and looked at his wife with a grave impression.

"What is it?" Loretta asked him.

"I forgot to tell you this," Tim said, "but yesterday when I was at work they fired me."

"WHAT!" Loretta yelled as she looked at her husband. "HOW COULD THEY FIRE YOU?"

"Loretta they fired five more people," Tim told her.

"They thought that you weren't good enough?" Loretta asked, "you of all others have been working your backside off in that job and now they fire you! Where were you right now?" she demanded.

"I was at work begging them for my job back," Tim told her, "but they refused to give it to me."

"What are we going to do Tim?" Loretta asked her husband, "we have a baby!"

"I can go and find work somewhere else," Tim told her.

"You can't do that," Loretta told him, "Annie needs to see her father and be around him."

"Well what do you want me to do?" Tim asked her.

"We are coming with you," Loretta told him.

"I also forgot to tell you that I found a place for us to stay where I will find work but its only for couples only and no children are allowed," Tim told her.

"Are you saying that I should give up my baby?" Loretta dared him to answer her.

"I'm sorry but this is the only place that I found," Tim told her.

"Where did you find work?" she asked him.

"A farmer was generous enough to let us work at his farm," Tim told her.

"And yet he wouldn't allow children?" Loretta asked him as Tim sadly shook his head 'no.' Loretta let out a sigh of frustration and looked at the tiny infant that had just went to sleep. "What should we do with Annie?"

"There is this orphanage for girls," Tim told her, "we can put her there and when we have enough money to afford more food and this house then we can get her back," Tim told her.

"An orphanage!" Loretta yelled as she almost jumped out of her seat, "I'm not going to put my little baby in _that_ place."

"Its the only choice we have sweetheart," Tim told her gently.

* * *

The next day Loretta and Tim walked to the orphanage. Loretta was holding the baby tightly not wanting to let her go. Tim rang the doorbell. He rang it a few more times but nobody came outside.

"Maybe this orphanage is deserted," Loretta told Tim.

"It can't be," Tim told her, "I just a red-headed woman going inside with a new child."

"How was the woman like?" Loretta asked him.

"She had red hair, skinny, and was wearing make-up. She looked nice to me," Tim told her.

"You don't even know her Tim," Loretta told him.

"Well this is the only orphanage I found," Tim told her, "on a short notice." He rang the doorbell again and nobody came out. "We should leave her on the doorstep."

"What?" Loretta asked shocked.

"Leave her on the doorstep," Tim repeated.

"No what is another person takes her," Loretta said.

"No one will take her," Tim said, "we'll attach a note to her." Tim took out a piece of paper and wrote on it. _Please take good care of our little baby girl. We'll come back and get her when we have enough money. _He attached the note to the little blanket that the child was wrapped around in. Loretta, not wanting to do it, cried and gently put the baby down at the doorstep.

"Bye," Loretta said as she kissed her daughter's forehead and her and Tim walked away from the orphanage never looking back.

* * *

Weeks passed and at the farm, Tim and Loretta were working really hard. Loretta was pulling out some weeds and vegetables and milking cows, while Tim was plowing the farm. Their pay was thirty cents per day so they worked really hard to get enough to feed themselves. One morning while Loretta was boiling some milk her mind was on her daughter while she was boiling the milk. She didn't notice that the milk was bubbling up and pouring out of the pot. "Oh god," she said as she lowered the head and poured the milk into the glass. There was a mess on the floor so she cleaned it up. Her husband returned home.

"The food is almost ready," Loretta told him.

Tim sniffed the air, "is something burning?"

"Oh no," Loretta yelled as she ran to the kitchen. From the oven there was black smoke coming out along with a red and yellow color. "FIRE!" she yelled.

Tim ran inside the kitchen and he frantically turned on the faucet in the kitchen. The flame was growing bigger and bigger. No water came out of the faucet. "DAMN IT!" he cursed. The fire was growing bigger and bigger. Both wife and husband screamed with horror as the fire slowly consumed the whole house and them two. Help came too late.

* * *

Nine years passed and a little girl with big green eyes, curly red hair, and freckles on her face was sitting by the window looking out at the panorama of the twinkling lights.

"Won't you please come get your baby," she sang, "maybe." The little girl named Annie never lost hope of meeting her parents once again.


End file.
